Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Hop Bottom
Hop Bottom isn’t graded for hazard risk: Hop Bottom has 291 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 2004.
What Hop Bottom faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Hop Bottom flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hop Bottom, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Lee2 claims · $14K
- Tropical Storm Ivan2 claims · $9K
Hop Bottom isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Susquehanna County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hop Bottom
Disasters that paid out in Hop Bottom itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Hop Bottom), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides36 households applied for aid$76K aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan9 households applied for aid$28K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $9K
Susquehanna County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Hop Bottom after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hop Bottom archive →Hop Bottom and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenox Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lathrop Township | — | 695 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Hop Bottom faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Hop Bottom
Does Hop Bottom flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Hop Bottom since 2004, $185K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (2).
Is Hop Bottom in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Susquehanna County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hop Bottom?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hop Bottom’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Hop Bottom?
By FEMA money that reached Hop Bottom, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 36 households applied for aid, $76K approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 2 paid, $14K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hop Bottom.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hop Bottom’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.